Plain Jane: CW’s Newest Reality Show; Cancel or Keep It?

by Trevor Kimball, August 6, 2010

The CW recently debuted their newest reality show called Plain Jane. Each episode revolves around a woman receiving a makeover from British fashion expert Louise Roe. Is the show performing well or does it need a ratings makeover?

Plain Jane debuted on July 28th to poor ratings. The premiere attracted a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic and just 990,000 viewers, ranking in fifth place for the timeslot in both areas. It was even outperformed by its lead-in, a repeat of America’s Next Top Model. On a positive note, the audience did grow a bit between Plain Jane’s first and second half-hours.

In week two, total viewership grew to 1.15 million viewers but the all-important demo remained the same at a 0.4 rating. This time, the demo rating dropped a bit between the first and second half of the show.

Four more episodes of Plain Jane have already been produced and it seems very likely that the network will let them air. The CW shows typically get much lower ratings than those on other networks. However, The CW has cancelled TV shows with similar ratings (High Society, Fly Girls) so it seems highly unlikely that they’ll be ordering any more of Plain Jane.

What do you think? Do you think Plain Jane is worth renewing for a second season or would you just cancel it now?

I have 2 young teens, who fight battles of self esteem and it is refreshing that they come away feeling inspired from this show. Unlike “Caro’s” comments – I like the Brit accent and am appreciate of the positive contributions of Louise in our society…wonder if Caro can say the same?

Plain Jane is a great show for people to realize their protentials. Yes, very interesting and educational. A lot of people in this day need to learn about confidence in themselves. Top Models is not what real people should think about when presenting in a work environment. Please keep Plain Jane on the air.

I thought this was a great show, it was funny and entertaining and there are plenty of Janes out there who could use a confidence boost like this. It has a real feel to it, not like the dressed up, or made-up girls on other shows like Top Model, these are just ordinary girls who need a little self-confidence. I think it shows younger viewers about being yourself but still being brave and having the courage to step out of their comfort zone. This show has heart. I say let it air.

I normally do not enjoy reality shows, but I must admit that I have really enjoyed watching Plain Jane. It’s nice to see the someone transform in such a positive way.
Also, I enjoy see very positive results of the dates. Please keep the show.

I thought the show was just plain annoying. The British accent is annoying and the show reminds me of what not to wear. Louise Row’s mouth is too big and it is scary! The entire show is self-congratulatory and sickening. CANCEL!! We have enough garbage to watch. Where is the creativity? Intelligence? Substance??

It’s such a cute, feel-good show! Summer shows are sometimes hard to catch on so maybe that’s also an issue. However, I loved this past episode and it makes me want to see more! Please keep Plain Jane on the air!!!

I think that if the numbers continue to increase it make sense to give shows a chance to find an audience. Also, they aired a rerun of the first episode on Tuesday and it did significantly better in a 8 PM slot. Maybe Wednesday is a bad day for the show.